One of the best parts of our recent trip to Richmond was our visit to bbgb, an absolutely fantastic children’s book store.

I have two wonderful literary friends who live in Richmond and bbgb seemed like the perfect place to re-connect.

Meg Medina (far left) is the author of Milagros: Girl from Away and Tia Isa Wants a Car. She is also the mom of one of the first girls I worked with as a reading specialist. Meg and I read each others blogs and talk via e-mail so somehow it seemed like I had seen her yesterday. In fact, it had been four years.

Dorothy (left) is also an author. She collaborated to write The PreK-2 Writing Classroom: Growing Confident Writers. Dorothy was my first professor in my reading education program and then a friend. I also felt like I had only just seen her when in fact we hadn’t connected in person since we left Richmond.

Perhaps all this ‘old friendness’ and time made the whole visit all the more special. I think I smiled the whole time I was there. When we left, Caroline said, “All you did was hug and talk.” How wonderful it is has to have friends with whom you can fall right back in to step.

And on the far right of the picture is Jennesse, a friend to Meg and Dorothy’s friend and co-author. She must be a great person to be friends with these two but also to have created the world that is bbgb. For all my Richmond readers, promise me that you will go to bbgb as soon as you can. It is the children’s book store of my dreams. Every book I pulled off the shelf was better than the one before. Many old favorites and so many new treasures. For those of you who live far away (as I do sadly), make sure that you read bbgb’s book buzz, twined tales and blog. You will add book after book to your to be read list.

As the picture below shows, Caroline and her friends clearly enjoyed the titles we chose while we were there.

Reviews of some of the ‘new to me’ titles to come soon…